Killer Net

In 1998 the internet was a new sensation that was taking the world by storm. We could not get enough of that dial-up action! Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect, Trial & Retribution, Above Suspicion) was fixated by it as well. The famous crime writer turned her attention to internet based computer games – and Killer Net was born.

Broadcast as a mini-series on Channel 4 in the UK in May 1998 it fell to Geoffrey Sax to direct the show that La Plante wrote and produced. Set in Brighton, we were soon introduced to two “typical” students who had an interest in computer games.

Upon being dumped by his dominant girlfriend Charlie, psychology student Scott Miller (Tam Miller as seen in Starhunter, Holby City) finds solace in an intriguingly addictive computer game called ‘Killer Net’ where you have to plan and carry out a murder. Shortly after Scott commits his first virtual murder, Charlie is found dead, slain and disposed of in exactly the same way as he did in the game! The murders do not stop there though and drag Scott, along with Susie (Emily Woof – The Full Monty) and his friend Joe Hunter (Paul Bettany – Avengers: Age of Ultron), Charlie into a strange dark side of humanity where they attempt to unravel how the computer game murders are happening in real life.

Back in 1998 a huge selling point of the show to the casual audience was that it featured Jason Orange from Take That as DJ Brent Moyer. These days who knows if that is still relevant…

The show also features Oded Fehr (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Extinction, Resident Evil: Retribution, Sleeper Cell, Charmed, V, Covert Affairs, Jane by Design, NCIS) as Victor the bar tender.

All in all Killer Net really did freak people out at the time, reports and complaints of people having nightmares after watching it were commonplace. In its day it truly did do the job. These days though the computers and equipment alone and laughable at how dated they are. This is one show that might truly benefit from a remake.